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Finishing out a back-to-back at home against the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors went into action with the schedule and their rotation working against them. Injuries left three roster spots unavailable (Klay Thompson, James Wiseman, and Andre Iguodala) while rest and the G-League took away another three more players on the roster (Otto Porter Jr., Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody). Limited rest and rotation combined for an uninspiring start that ultimately led to a disappointing 112-107 loss. Here’s a look how each player faired:
As always, grades are weighted based on expectations.
Stephen Curry
Curry was the game’s leading scorer and finished the game with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and just one turnover, but he finished an abysmal 7-for-28 from the field and 5-for-17 from three. The Warriors have gotten off to a great start, but Curry’s had more cold stretches than Golden State’s record would suggest. On Saturday, it might have cost them a victory.
On a day where the Warriors particularly showed the effects of a limited rotation on a back-to-back defensively, Curry was one of their best performers on that side of the ball. He recorded three steals in the first half and gave a strong effort on that side of the ball despite his struggles scoring. His inefficient offensive effort left plenty to be desired, but Curry is far more than a one-dimensional player.
Grade: C-
Jordan Poole
Poole has turned down the aggressiveness over the past week, and it’s worth wondering if the Warriors could have used him taking more offensive initiative. He finished 6-for-9 from the field (3-for-6 from three) with 15 points. However, Poole struggled to contribute in most other aspects of the game and finished with a game worst -26 plus/minus.
Grade: C+
Andrew Wiggins
It was somewhat surprising to see Wiggins playing in a second game in two days after his recent back spasms, and his performance reflected those limitations. In one of his worst performances of the season, Wiggins scored a quiet 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 turnover. While his offensive inefficiency left something to be desired, his defensive struggles were a massive problem. Spurs players drove past Wiggins all game, which drove a considerable amount of the Warriors’ struggles.
Grade: F
Draymond Green
Green finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists but was far from the dominating force he was on Friday against Phoenix. Green had several sloppy turnovers, including an extremely costly errant pass in the game’s final two minutes. Still, Green led the charge in Golden State’s comeback, particularly with his fourth-quarter defensive effort.
Grade: C+
Kevon Looney
Looney looked out of sorts early and only played 13 minutes. He finished 1-for-3 with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls.
Grade: D
Juan Toscano-Anderson
JTA was a star off the bench once again. One of the few players who improved on their performance in the second half of the back-to-back, Toscano-Anderson finished with the best plus/minus of the game (+24) and racked up 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Grade: A
Damion Lee
If there’s one silver lining from the Dubs’ loss, it was seeing Lee closer to his early-season offensive form than he’s looked in some time. He racked up 14 points and 7 rebounds on 6-for-12 shooting from the field (2-for-6 from three).
Grade: A
Gary Payton II
Payton didn’t o do much in his 12 minutes of action, but it wouldn’t o be a GPII appearance without at least one steal.
Grade: B-
Nemanja Bjelica
Bjelica played a part in the Warriors' defensive struggles, but he also scored 9 points in 13 minutes of action and was on the floor for a substantial portion of the Dubs comeback attempt.
Grade: B-
Chris Chiozza
While things struggled around him, this was probably Chiozza’s best all-around rotation minutes this season. He finished +11 in 14 minutes, made his only shot attempt, and finished the game with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Grade: B
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